Huge pythons wiping out mammals in Everglades

Large numbers ofmammals living in Florida's Everglades are being wiped out by massive pythons, a phenomenonscientists fear could disrupt the food chain and upset the ecosystem, says a new study.

The finding is based on the fact that roadside sightings of mammals such as raccoons, opossums, bobcats are downsignificantly in areas where pythons and other large constrictor snakes live, according tothe study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The snakes are not native to the Everglades and many are likely dumped there by people who bought them as pets but turned them loose after they grew too big to keep at home.

It's believedothers escaped from pet shops during hurricane Andrew in1992 and have been reproducing ever since.